Pioneers: Creation

The Twisted Romance

The Twisted Romance


         Haqnen II was a sprawling, busy center for every kind of lowlife and scoundrel imaginable.  On the outer edges of the Midolloni galaxy, it was just on the perimeter of MMC influence and sat beside Rhydollor, a powerful neighbor and one which Midolloni wasn’t on the best terms with.  Therefore, MMC patrols visited only in small numbers, if at all, in fear of angering their neighbors further.  This made it perfect for large gatherings of known criminals who wanted to conduct business without the heat of MMC breathing down their necks.  It also made the planet a center of murder, chaos and destruction.  Anarchy ruled and whoever happened to be toughest also happened to be in charge.  Changes in power were frequent, to say the least.


         Being such a chaotic place where no sane person of lawfulness would enter, Haqnen II was also a great meeting spot for the unlawful...as long as the meeting wasn't about the unlawful.  But Ruki was sure that the noble wouldn't be that stupid.  11th Crown Prince Aiston Malcom was supposedly a fairly smart guy and one of the Royal Family's best political strategists when he actually tried.  Not that that was saying too much.  Ruki got part of her reputation in her early criminal years by dodging around the Royal Family and would do it again for the right price.


         The two were supposed to meet in one of the back rooms of Ployer's Place, one of the more famous establishments on the planet.  Ruki had recommended the bar when Malcom had named the planet.  She knew the owner well - an old friend who had enough hired help and old friends to keep his property a neutral ground within a constant war zone.


         Ruki walked down the street to the bar.  The Reaper was locked in a local hangar with enough security systems to ensure her that the local scum wouldn't get too far in stealing her precious without getting fried to a crisp.  Not that many people would try to steal from the dread pirate Ruki, but there was always some hotshot who wanted to impress everyone.


         The streets were relatively empty, though the skies above were littered with the usual fast-moving traffic.  Alleys and streets were covered with all sorts of trash and graffiti and, besides the vandalism, the place was a mess of grey colors and ruined buildings.  A few people walked the streets - either drunk or packing a large gun - but most everyone liked to stick to a bar and not worry about the hotshots.


         Hotshots like the trio that was approaching her now.


         Ruki smiled sweetly at the three men walking toward her with weapons aimed.  "Can I help you, boys?"


         The bigger of the three gave her an angry expression and started yelling, "BOYS?!?!  I'll show you..." but was cut off from the middle boy - presumably the leader of the bunch.


         "Shut up."  He turned to Ruki.  "You're that famous pirate Ruki, right?"


         "Me?  Famous?  Who woulda thought?" she replied, turning on her innocence act.  Playing the dumb girl to the green was ever so much fun.


         "You're the greatest mercenary in the universe?  Ruki?" the third boy asked.


         "I didn't know I was so highly thought of!" she said in a voice laced with naivete.


         "This lady's a ditz man.  No way she could be Ruki,"  the angry one said.


         "No.  This is Ruki all right.  She's just playing dumb.  Isn't that right?" the leader said, prodding his weapon into her shoulder lightly.


         "Huh?  What?  Dumb?  Yeah sure.  Do you really think I'm the greatest?!"


         "Man, I think she lost it or something."  The third one said.


         "She didn't lose anything.  She's just afraid we'll kill her if we know she's Ruki."


         "That's my name!  Yep!  I'm the greatest mercenary!  WOOOHOOO!!!"  The three looked at her strangely.


         "I'm telling you, man, it's not her!" the angry one said.


         "And I'm telling you, there is no other person in the universe that could fit that," the leader pointed at Ruki, "description!"


         "Then she got hit on the head real hard, man, 'cause she doesn't look smart enough for the title, 'Greatest Mercenary.'" the third one said.  Ruki started walking away, trying to keep the cackle from escaping her lips.


         "She's playing around!  She's trying to trick us!  She's...WALKING AWAY!!!"


         'So one of them has a little brains.'  Ruki turned her head around to look at the three who were now running after her.  She smiled wickedly.


         "So you're Ruki?" the angry one asked.  The leader shook his head in irritation.


         "Of course," she said, dropping the innocence.  Obviously one of them wasn't going for it.


         "And you're the greatest mercenary in the universe?" the third one asked.


         "That's what they say."


         The angry one spoke again.  "So if we were to kill you we'd be the greatest mercenaries ever?"


         "Well I don't know abou..." she was cut off by the irritated leader.


         "We want your ship and your valuables.  If you don't hand them over your pretty little face is going to be nothing but teeth and blood," he said while bringing up his shotgun.


         "No."  The other two brought up their weapons - old sub-machine guns.  Dirt poor rookies.  Probably got them off corpses.  She wondered briefly how they even ended up on a planet like Haqnen II.  This was a planet of criminal war.  No place for kids like these.  Maybe leftovers from a defeated clan?


         "You don't realize the position you're in!  I think you're too cocky for your own good!" the third one said.


         Ruki subtly brought her hands behind her back.  "You forget two things boys."


         "LET'S KILL HER!!!" the angry one yelled.


         "HOLD UP!!!" the leader yelled back.  He looked Ruki square in the eyes.  "What did we forget?"


         "One, I've been around long enough to have faced hundreds of wannabes like you..." the angry one cut her off.


         "BULLSHIT!!!  YOU’RE JUST TRYING TO SCARE US AWAY!!!"


         "SHUT UP!!!" the leader yelled.


         Ruki continued.  "And two, reputation comes from somewhere."  Her smile grew and the leader looked at her suspiciously before his eye's traveled to her arms.  He jumped back.


         "Get your hands up!" he yelled.  The sound of air being eaten by plasma emerged from behind Ruki's back and her tail swished back and forth violently in anticipation.  Two bright red swords appeared crossed behind her - reflections of her wickedly gleaming red eyes.


         "Shi..." the third one tried to say.  Ruki swung the two swords in front of her and cut off the angry and third boy's arms with lightning speed.  Both men fell back and screamed in agony over their lost limbs while the leader brought his gun to bear, launching a blast from his shotgun.  Ruki was one step ahead, however, and was able to leap out of the way before the plasma flechettes hit their mark.  She landed in a roll and came back to her feet then dove for the last boy.  The leader tried to pump another round into his weapon while bringing it around for another shot, but Ruki was too quick.  She swung one blade up, cutting the gun in half, while she rested the other against the boy's neck.  The leader froze and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.


         "Rule one: know your target.  Rule two: find good lackeys.  Rule three: find a weapon you can wield easily."  Ruki turned off the two blades and backed away from the boy.


         "You...you aren't going to kill me?  I thought you were some ruthless monster," he said softly.


         "You want me to kill you?" Ruki asked with playful grin.


         "N-no."


         "Good.  You don't gain a reputation by killing everything you lay eyes on.  You can gain one from bad rumors, though," she muttered almost as an afterthought.


         "What about them?" he asked, pointing to his squirming companions, neither bleeding too badly due to the cauterizing properties of her swords.


         "What do I care?  They’re not my lackeys."  The boy nodded, giving a quick glance to his friends - the third one had already gone into shock.  She gave him another smile.  "See you around."  The boy nodded once more and Ruki proceeded to finish her walk to the bar.


-------------------------


         Ally had really gone out of her way in providing Kenshi with supplies.  He'd gone through the data pad a few times and was now ensured that the small scientist was at least one of the top scientists in the universe.  The things she'd provided him with were not easily made and near impossible to get off the black market, if they even existed in some other armory or collection.  Of course he could never let an MMC inspection team come aboard else he be beyond redemption, but some things might come in handy.


         The weapons were all top-of-the-line.  Some he'd never even heard of and others were either so rare that he was sure he'd never spot one again or so advanced that he'd only heard of them as being either experimental or impossible to create with existing technology.  Two such weapons caught his attention.  The sonic blaster looked like a pistol, but when it fired a shot it pulverized anything in the sound wave's path.  And the wave was big.  The things were so illegal that just about no one had one - and those that did were generally crazy and/or feared for using such an overpowered weapon.  The other weapon which caught his eye was something he'd once caught a glimpse of on the MMC experimental list: the Firestorm Cannon.  At the time he'd only known that it was some sort of machine gun, but after reading it's description he realized the weapon's power.  The thing was a light weight hand-held gatling gun that fired off concentrated light from a long-lived rechargeable power source at a rate of 25 shots per second.  Last he remembered they were still too heavy for normal use but Ally seemed to have no problem with concentrating power to make things smaller.  If Ruki could last under that kind of fire then he'd stop his hunt for her and become a teacher for criminal mercenaries.


         There were others, too.  Light swords which, last he heard were impossible to create - those would come in handy if Kenshi had to get into a melee fight with Ruki.  A pair of exosuits were there, one with enough firepower and armor to put up a good fight against Midolloni City and another that was akin to the MMC’s skin exosuits - more like heavy armor than vehicles.  Most known military exosuits were currently in use by the MMC, but were usually used only in heavy battles as they were either slow and easy to hit due to their large sizes, so unwieldy that only the heavier armor and weaponry keep the pilot alive and/or were more like extremely expensive heavy body armors than vehicles, carrying no heavy weapons like skin exosuits.  Both the ones Ally provided were fast and had enough armor to not worry about being shot, or so it was written.  The list went on and on and, Kenshi had to admit, appealed to the militaristic side of him.


         The engine, too, was very impressive.  It was an old modified interdimensional system - modified in that it didn't cut into a new dimension every time it was turned on.  It was overpowered and, last he heard, a potential bomb with enough power to rip a black hole into space, but Kenshi had a gut feeling he could lay his trust into it.  Any ship collector would give their entire collection for a working engine like that.


         'I don't know why she did it, but Ally really gave me a piece of art.  That's a lot of equipment to catch a single pirate, Ruki or not.'  His mind went back to her last words and the Terran sat there pondering the knowledge that came with them.  'What does she want me to do?'


         Kenshi was finally brought out of his thoughts when a beeping sounded from the autopilot controls.  He set the data pad aside and pulled his ship out of hyperspace.  After he was safely back to a cruising speed, Kenshi looked at his tracker and scowled at what he found.


         'Haqnen II.  Figures.'  Kenshi stopped his ship dead in space.  'If I have to go down there, I'm going to need a disguise.  Someone's bound to recognize ‘Ruki's partner’ and I don't want to get in a fight with anyone more than Ruki.  Just gotta get her alone down there...'


         He walked back to his new bedroom and opened his dresser, hoping Ally hadn't removed anything.  Kenshi smiled as he lifted the package inside.


-------------------------


         The hallways of the MMC prison station, Quantron, were an almost blinding white.  The area was underused and, though it had been built decades ago, still looked new.  Along the walls were thin seams here and there where one could barely make out the doors to each cell.  Between these seams thick, square windows - an inch deep and nine inches wide - showed viewers some of the toughest and worst criminals in the galaxy.  But none were as tough or bad as what Commander Terrace Burlai was looking for.


         The tall commander walked down the hallway clothed in the black and gold dress uniform of an officer in the MMC.  On either side of him was a soldier from his ship and in front of him was the prison warden.  The place reminded him of an insane asylum with all the bright white walls and the prison guards dressed in the same white of an orderly.


         "May I ask what your interest with Mr. Lager is?" the warden asked.


         "No," Terrace replied gruffly.  "Classified."


         The warden nodded his head in acceptance and led the trio behind him to an elevator flanked by two prison guards.  "This leads to the Alpha section of the prison.  Lager's room is 332A.  I suggest you leave the glass closed and your men outside.  Lager has been highly aggressive towards all visitors - killed one - and if he sees your guards he will think of it as a weakness and may refuse to acknowledge your presence.  Any questions?"


         "No.  Open the door."  The warden nodded his head and proceeded to give a hand, eye and voice scan to the elevator.  The doors swung open with a hiss and the commander and his guards entered the large titanium room.


         "Please state your destination," a pleasantly accented synthetic female voice sounded from a pair of speakers set in the roof of the elevator.


         "Alpha section," Terrace responded.


         "Thank you."  The doors closed with a hiss and the trio started on a three minute ride to the Alpha section of Quantron prison.


-------------------------


         The inside of Ployer's place was actually relatively nice considering it was ground zero for the most ruthless and violent pirates and criminals to travel the spaceways.  It was a bar/restraunt/hotel/casino with everything you could wish for in any of the above.  All around the large main area stood booths and tables while the middle of the room held a large, square bar.  On one side of the room various card games were being played, including various forms of poker, gin and blackjack.  Another side of the room held a pair of elevators and stairways leading up to the hotel rooms, spas, pools and gambling pits the odd place held.  Darkened cherrywood and oak made up most of the furniture in the room and the lighting was fairly dim, making the place seem almost cozy.


         Of course there were heavily armed guards dressed in nice suits around every corner to keep the place from becoming a warzone for the high-profile criminals that visited, but no one really seemed to mind.  And if anyone did it wasn't Ruki's problem.  If there happened to be a fight and she happened to get hurt, Ployer would come down and personally kick the asses of all involved - including his own guards.  That's what happened when you have rich friends who own a popular bar/restraunt/hotel/casino which takes the less lawful as customers.


         Ruki sat in a corner of the main room and watched the customers around her drinking and gambling while keeping her eyes on the entrance to observe any newcomers.  Her feet were plopped up on the table and a strong beer rested in her hands.  As she took a sip she noticed one of the elevators open and a small, aging man come walking out.  The man was an Esten, a small race of people with large, powerful hands and the small, pointed ears which were common amongst humanoids, as well as a longer lifespan that wasn't so common.  He had the soft, friendly features of a young grandfather with short, greying black hair, kind brown eyes and a friendly smile.  And to say Worrent Ployer wasn't a friendly guy was a bold-faced lie.


         Ployer walked straight up to Ruki and sat down next to her, all the time keeping his smile on.  "Ruki!  You don't visit enough!  No more time for old friends?"


         "You know how business is, Ployer.  Always busy with this or that.  I'd swear that the employment rate has gone up these past few years!" Ruki said in greeting.


         "So how've you been?  You never call, you never write.  What's a man to do?!"  Ruki laughed.


         "You make me sound like your daughter or something."


         "Yes, well, it's better than making customers think I'm some perverted old man going after the most beautiful woman in the room."  Ruki laughed again.


         "So what?  You trying to sweet talk your way into my pants?"


         "Of course not.  I've heard horror stories of such things in the past and I'm not willing to tell the next tale."


         "Oh yeah?"  Ruki grabbed Ployer from across the table and threw him into a headlock.  "What horror stories?  Has there been more gossip about my sex life?"  Ployer laughed this time, a little nervously.


         "Everyone remembers old Donnely.  Poor sucker.  But nothing recent!  I swear!"  Ruki let go and grinned playfully.


         "You sure?  Because I've heard some more slut rumors going around."  Ployer smiled back innocently.


         "Nothing here, I assure you.  You know kids!  Always talking about their supposed one-night-stands."


         "Yeah, sure."  The two sat there for a moment and looked around the room.


         "I have the meeting room behind the gambling pit set up for you.  You just bring your guy up and my guards will make sure you're not disturbed," Ployer said.


         "Excellent."  The two sat in silence for another moment when the doors swung open again and a Jarcden, a tall, lean, grey-skinned creature, came walking through.  He looked around for a moment, seeming to inspect everyone individually before going to sit at the main bar.


         "Don't see many unrecognizable faces around here, usually.  I wonder who he is," Ployer said, pointing to the Jarcden.


         "Don't know.  Want me to find out?"


         "Naw.  Forget about it.  He's probably just a small time robber who got lucky.  I've seen that happen quite a few times.  Then they come over here and act like they just became God."


         “Doesn’t look young enough.”


         “True.  I guess the first time customers have to come sometime, eh?


         "Maybe he's a bounty hunter."


         "Maybe.  But they're usually too smart to come here.  And few bounty hunters aren't recognizable and have enough money to cover they're criminals here."


         “He could be wearing a disguise.”


         “Jarcdens are too tall to disguise yourself as.  It’d be too uncomfortable for a stakeout and there are so many other races to choose from.”


         "MMC?”


         "Not dumb enough and too many politics to come here.  Though I do remember hearing about one crazy kid who went after the greatest pirate in existence and survived."  Ployer looked at Ruki expectantly and she took a sip of her beer.  "Come on!  What happened back there?!  I know the kid survived!"


         "Kenshi?  Yeah he's still around."


         "So what?  You going out with him?  You two elope?"  Ruki laughed.


         "You sound like a gossiping schoolgirl!"


         "Well I'm curious!  You're my last connection to the exciting life."  Ruki smiled warmly at the old man.


         "Kenshi's just a friend...of sorts.  We've never done anything together.  And I know he doesn't think of me as a friend."


         "Want me to change his mind?"  Ruki shook her head.


         "No.  Kenshi...he's just different from the rest of them.  That's all.  I like him, just not like that.  He still wants to turn me in and go back to the MMC."


         "Is that right?  And you let him live this long?!  Usually someone that persistent would be dead five times over."


         "He's fun.  It's fun playing with him.  You know, he's almost gotten me a few times."  Ployer looked like he didn't believe her.


         "Really?"


         "Honest.  Hey, he couldn’t be half bad if he got my attention, right?"  Ruki gained a wistful look on her face.  "The first time we met he almost got me.  Managed to get shotgun pointed down at me.  If he just hadn't looked away..."


         "I'd love to reminisce about your current flame, but I think your friend has arrived," Ployer said while pointing to a man in fancy blue and white robes who had just entered beside a nervous wreck of man in casual clothing.


         "He's not my flame!  I'm not going out with anyone!"


         "Mhmm.  Sure.  Have fun.  Don't spill too much blood in there.  That's my favorite meeting room."


         "We'll talk about this later," Ruki said while standing up.  She walked away grumbling to herself about ‘stupid gossiping bar owners.’


         Ployer smiled to himself and went to the bar to greet his newest customer.


-------------------------


         Terrace stood in front of room 332A with his guards flanking either side of him.  This cell, like the others in the Alpha section, had no window on the doors.  The only way to view the prisoners here was from a control room specifically designed to keep the prisoners of Alpha section locked down.  Terrace had made sure those officers would not be watching this conversation through a friendly bribe.


         "Cover the door," he told the two guards.  They both nodded and moved to either side of the door.  "No one bothers me.  Understand?"


         "Yes sir," they both acknowledged.


         Terrace flipped a keycard through the panel and watched as the doorway slid up in front of him.  Before him was a small room with a chair.  Beyond that was a wall of thick glass with a locked door and keycard slot .  Beyond the glass was a small bedroom/bathroom and a computer library.  It actually looked quite cozy with it’s well-built furniture and computer.  On the twin-sized bed lay Rea'gis Lager, staring at the ceiling in obvious boredom.  Terrace sat down on the chair and stared at the unmoving body of the man before him.


         Rea'gis was an odd mix of creatures.  One half of his heritage was Nindathu, an elven race of people in the most basic meaning.  They were short, around 5' often, and had the sharp, angular features of Terran fantasy.  They even had those rare long, thin and pointed ears.  The other half of Rea'gis was the more obvious half: Yatari.  Yatari were a cat-like race in almost every sense.  They had tails, slitted eyes, fangs, claws and even a thin covering of  fur over their body.  They didn't stand much taller than Nindathu at 5'3'', but it wasn’t much shorter than the 5'5" average height of sentient races.  Rea'gis was considerably taller than both races at 5'7'' and had a golden-brown covering of hair down his entire body.  His eyes were slitted, one being green and the other gold and his ears were long and thin.  On the ends of each finger was a deadly-looking claw, partially hidden under the folds of skin.  He had no tail, but his canines were slightly longer than normal.  Finally, his features were all sharp and almost seemed angelic if it weren't for the harsh eyes staring holes into the ceiling.


         This man, for all the hate he was said to have for his former partners, had not said a word in helping for their capture.  It was time to change that.


         "Rea'gis Lager," Terrace started.  He waited to see a reaction, but when he received none he continued.  "I have a proposition for you that I'm sure you'll be interested to hear."  The man didn't blink.  "Ruki has been quite a problem to us lately - one that needs to finally be resolved.  My proposition is simple.  Give me information and I’ll give you Ruki."


         The cat/elf shot straight up.  Lager glared at Terrace for a moment before laying back down, completely relaxed once more.  “And why should I trust the word of some corrupt MMC?”  Terrace frowned at that, but continued nonetheless.


         “You want Ruki and I want the information needed to capture her.  I am sure you will not receive a better deal anytime soon.”


         "You don’t want her.  You want the fame of capturing our beloved Angel of Death,” Lager said.  Terrace did not answer that.  “So how do you plan on accomplishing that?  Giving me Ruki, I mean.  I haven't been out of this cell in three years."


         "Simple.  I push a little influence as the recent capturer of the supposed greatest bane of our galaxy, as well as that of a commander, and get you a break from your cell for a day.  I give Ruki the same and you can do whatever you want during that break."


         "What about weapons?  You realize she is rather difficult to kill in person."


         "What about information?  You realize I need intel if you want the chance to kill her."


         Rea'gis seemed to think for a moment before sitting back up and turning to lean against the wall.  "This is not the first time someone has tried to pry our beloved Ruki from me.  Why should this be any different?"


         “Have they ever offered you revenge?  Anything beyond their standard deals?  Better cell?  Privileges?  All empty proposals.”


         “This is different?” Lager asked, raising an eyebrow.


         “Do you want to take the chance it isn’t?”  Silence filled the room.  Rea’gis glared for seemingly minutes on end before answering.


         “What do you want to know?”


         "Weaknesses, what she is, who upgrades and tunes that ship of hers, hideouts and popular rendevous points and anything else you might think of."


         "No one knows what she is but her maker.  I've been to enough planets to see most races, but there's nothing like her.  I might say she's some complicated mix, but her inner build is odd."


         "How so?" Terrace asked.


         "Her strength.  Her regenerative abilities.  Her resistance to injury and pain.  They can be artificially created in a person, but not at the point she has them.  She's something new.  Maybe a freak of nature.  Maybe a species from some far off galaxy.  I don't know," Lager said.


         "What else?"  The inmate closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head against the wall.  He opened them as he responded.


         "Her ship is an easy question.  She works for some scientist - a woman called Ally.  Ruki gives Ally valuables and Ally gives Ruki technology."  Terrace made a note of that.  He’d been researching Ruki for close to a year now and he’d never heard that name before.


         "Where can I find Ally?"


         "You can't.  She appears when and where she wants to.  She's insane, but she's a genius.  Anyway, you don’t want to meet her.  Ally has a way with making people she doesn't like feel...unwelcome."


         "And she wouldn't like me?" Terrace said as he smiled, trying to lighten the mood.  The half breed scowled and Terrace lost his smile.


         "No."


         "Fine.  What about weaknesses?  What could bring Ruki down?"


         "And not kill her?  Not much.  Heavy doses of some powerful tranquilizer, but that’s a given.  The trick is hitting her with it.  She can hear the movements of such things and tranqs move slow.  Ruki's only real weakness is her own arrogance.  She has a right to it, though.  She's as close to invincible as anyone will ever come."


         "You have to give me more than that if you want a shot at Ruki."


         "You have to give me a gun if I can get a shot at Ruki," Lager pointed out.


         "Blaster?"  Lager remained silent.  "Portable blast cannon?"


         "You need a few people up close.  Real good fighters that can distract her in melee for a while, but keep them defensive so Ruki isn't moving around too much."


         "And?"


         "And where do you put a portable blast cannon in the middle of a prison?  They are not exactly small."


         "I'll have a courtyard here set up for you two.  The cannon will be in a trash near one of the entrances.  Continue."


         Lager smiled a small, wicked grin and gave Terrace the rest of his idea, bringing to use three years of doing nothing but plotting revenge.


-------------------------


         Ployer walked slowly up to his new guest, observing all the while.  The man was obviously a pure-blooded Jarcden and if it was a disguise, it was a highly expensive one.  Ployer had his money on the man being a new customer, however.


         The Jarcden was slightly shorter than his people’s 7'2", but his skin was the same dull grey of the rest of his kind.  Green hair so dark that it almost seemed black covered his head and most of his upper back while a massive black trench coat covered the rest of his body.  In fact, the only skin to be seen was in the Jarcden’s face as even his hands were gloved in dark leather.


         Ployer noticed the Jarcden watching Ruki escort the noble into the back room before one gloved hand raised to order a simple glass of water.  Water.  Water always mean business.  Was he MMC or was he waiting for someone?  No...the MMC was too gutless for this.  Just another stern pirate or robber or whatever waiting for someone to arrive.


         ‘I wonder what interest he has in Ruki, though.  Probably a little surprised to see someone so famous here.’  He almost chuckled.  ‘Or Ruki’s hooked another starry-eyed dreamer.’  As he watched the Jarcden sip his water down, Ployer decided to finally make his presence known.


         "Hey.  You look new here.  Worrent Ployer's the name, but you can just call me Ployer.  Everyone else does."  The Jarcden jumped and spun around with a cold glare that almost froze Ployer on the spot, but the ex-pirate continued.  “I see you caught an eye for the girl.  What's your name, by the way?"  The man paused and continued to glare before letting out a deep breath and turning back to the bar.


         "Len Hower," he said in a quiet voice lined with a harsh rasp.  Ployer took a seat next to the man.


         "Len Hower.  Can't say I've heard of you," Ployer said in an attempt to get to know the man.  Good business was run when you knew your customer’s needs.


         "It's a big universe and I don't like to be recognized."  Ployer nodded.


         "Too true.  There's an overpopulation of criminals looking for fame out there.  I like your style.  You recognize the woman?"


         "Ruki."


         Ployer stared at Len for a moment.  "Surprised to see someone like her here or do you like staring at beautiful women?"


         Len started coughing mid-sip and it took a moment for him to recover.  He looked back up at Ployer and said, "Never thought I'd see her just hanging around a bar."


         "Yeah, sure.  I believe you.  Really," Ployer said, thinking, ‘He likes her.  Maybe I can scare him away from her and save Ruki the trouble.’


         "Don't you have anything else to do besides nag customers?"


         "Not when the customer is drinking water," Ployer said pointing at the near-full glass.


         "You have a problem with me drinking water?"  The Jarcden’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he glanced over to Ployer.


         "Not at all.  I just wanted to point out some of the more expensive items on the menu."  Ployer gave the Jarcden an award-winning smile and, after sending a strange look, Len shook his head and gave a slow chuckle.  "She's quite a woman," Ployer said.  Len paused for a moment before saying the name both knew Ployer was talking about.


         "Ruki?"


         "Yeah.”  Ployer started his plan.  “It's a little sad really.  She's not a bad person.  Rumors and gossip can kill a person's reputation."


         "And here I thought that reputation was earned through hard work," Hower said and Ployer winced.  In the case of Ruki that was all too true.  But hell, maybe he wouldn’t have to try that hard to scare the guy away from her after all.


         "Well...she was a lot worse in the past.  Decades ago it was a game.  She was a killer then."  ‘She could scare the hell out me with a smile.  Cripes.  I might get the nightmares back.’


         "And she's not now?"  Ployer paused at the truth of the words and tried for a moment to stutter out an argument before simply giving up.  He hadn’t planned on talking about Ruki’s record so soon and he hadn’t planned on defending her.  Maybe this guy wasn’t some starry-eyed Ruki onlooker after all...


         ‘Nah,’ the Esten thought.  "You sure push a hard argument.  Sure she kills now, but it's more in defense.  She doesn't go looking for blood anymore."  A flash of blood and a sadistic, fanged laugh crossed Ployers eyes, making him wince, but Len missed it to look down at his drink.


         "How would you know all this?" Hower asked.


         "Oh, me and Ruki have been friends for years.  Her and me...we made a good team back in the day."


         "You two were partners?"


         "Yep.  The Ployer and Ruki duo were unstoppable in the universe!  But that was decades ago."


         "She was still killing then," the Jarcden pointed out.


         "Yeah, but not so much.  Her bloodlust was pretty much settled by then.”  ‘Barely.’  “But that woman sure enjoys a good fight!  Whhhoooeee!  It's better than sex to her!"  Now he was trying to cheer himself up.  Exciting times, he’d always said.  Terrifying times as well.


         "So I've heard," Hower said as he shrugged.  He looked at the door Ruki had disappeared into reminding Ployer why they were even having this conversation.  His old partner always had been distracting.


         "But as I said, it's a shame," Ployer said, putting his head back on track.


         "What?"


         "Her reputation.  Everyone's afraid of her.  I guess that's why she likes him."


         "Him?" Hower asked, an eyebrow raised.


         "You know.  Don't you keep up on pirate gossip?" Ployer asked.  Hower gave him that odd look again.


         "I'm not around women enough."


         "Ouch.  That stings.  You aren't a very friendly person, are you?"  Hower’s lips worked themselves into a scowl.


         "No kidding.  Who's him?"


         "Sure.  Insult a guy and ask him for information.  You need to work on your social skills, boy!"


         "You're the one who wanted to talk."  Ployer looked at the Jarcden in exasperation then burst out laughing.


         "Len, you are a piece of work!  Charlie, get this guy an ale."  The bartender set down a mug of a deep golden liquid in front of the surprised Jarcden as Ployer leaned forward onto the bar.  "Him is an ex-SEALS.  Some kid called Kenshi Tamaki.  I'm sure you've heard of him."


         "Yeah," Len said in monotone as he picked up the ale.  He took a long gulp of the golden brew.


         "Well there's rumors flying all around about those two.  Ruki and Kenshi are lovers.  Kenshi and Ruki eloped.  You get the picture."  Len took another long gulp from his ale.  "I myself don't know what to believe between those two, but one things for sure.  Ruki definitely likes the boy at least.  I don't blame her, though.  She’d say the kid's just a bounty hunter after her head, but she thinks a lot about him."  Len finished the ale and signaled Charlie for another.  "There's not many people who don't fear Ruki enough to keep coming after her.  And if they are lovers...well...the same thing goes.  Not many who aren't afraid there!"  Len sighed and Ployer could see him clenching his jaw.


         “What do you mean?  I thought you said she was a beautiful woman.”


         "You really haven't heard the stories.  You need to go to bars more often, friend!  Preferably this one.  Ruki's love life is a big source of discussion.  Her first known lover, Donnely, was a Terran pirate during the war.  Big tough sonofabitch.  Anyway, the two went out for three days and Donnely never went out again.  Ruki is...how should I say...playful.  Not slutty as many horny kids may like to believe - try to hit on her and she'll as likely break you as flirt back - but she's playful with her lovers."  Ployer thought back to the old days.  “I should know.  She tried for me for a short time, but I was too afraid of her then.  But back to Donnely.  They go out one night and sleep together.  There's no soft way to say this, so I'll just say it.  Ruki is very strong.  Donnely made the mistake of keeping her on his dick during her orgasm.  The contractions worked as a vice and plain out took his dick off.  No joke.  No rumor.  After that Ruki started pulling off her lovers during orgasms."


         Hower winced and shrunk a bit.  "Why the hell are you telling me this?"


         "You wanted to know why people are afraid of being with Ruki."  ‘More like to save you from doing something stupid, like hitting on her.’


         "Not especially."


         "You asked.  Besides, you would have heard it sooner or later.  But as I said: this Kenshi character...no one really knows about him.  Ruki likes him because he doesn't seem to fear her.  To someone like her, that's a breath of fresh air.  Let him be the only one.  You’ll live longer."


         Hower looked down sadly to his ale and stayed that way for a long moment.  To him it looked like somebody had just stepped all over his dreams so Ployer tried his hand at cheering the Jarcden up again.


         "Well you look depressed suddenly!  Kid, you've got to loosen up!  Just because you can't lay a good lookin’ woman doesn't mean your life just ended!"


         Len looked up at Ployer, his expression not one of cold, hard anger.  "Forget it," he said.  "My problems are my own and they have nothing to do with Ruki's sex life.  Now leave me alone."  Ployer looked at his customer and blinked a few times in surprise at the Jarden's temper.


         ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much hate in so few words.  This isn’t about some fling he wants with a beautiful, famous woman.  There’s something personal between him and Ruki,’ he realized.


         Ployer stumbled back off his chair, finding a sudden fear of this man with such a strong grudge.  He walked backwards toward where he and Ruki sat earlier, afraid to take his eyes off the man - of getting in the middle of some quarrel between him and the most dangerous being he knew.  And right then he was truly reminded of how dangerous Ruki was.


         She had killed thousands.  Probably responsible for tens or even hundreds of thousands of deaths in one form or another, and not one she cared about.  She had changed somewhat for the better over the last few years, but she was no less dangerous.


         Ployer sighed to himself, rubbing a large hand across his face as memories of his old partnership went through his mind.  Ruki was ruthless and deadly, but she was close to him.  He was about the closest person to Ruki - had been for years - and she was a friend of sorts to him, often more like a strange sister than an old acquaintance.  She might have thought of him the same way, but she was isolated from him and everyone else.  The fear had always been an ocean between herself and everyone she came in contact with.


         It was then that the realization hit him.  He realized how much Kenshi Tamaki truly meant to Ruki, however much she didn’t want to admit it even to herself.  That man knew her - knew what she was capable of - and did not fear her.  As a result he had earned something far beyond what Ployer or anyone else would ever get from the pirate and murderer.


         That’s when the second realization came and Ployer stared even harder at the Jarcden.


         “So we meet at last, Kenshi.”


-------------------------


         Aiston Malcom received stares from everyone as he walked down the ruined street.  Haqnen II was a planet of dirty riffraff and Aiston was anything but dirty.  His ponytail of long brown hair was kept shiny and clean with the best of conditioners.  His pale skin seemed to give off an aura, it was washed so thoroughly.  His robes were of an imported Gendoleth silk with varying shades of silver and blue dyed into them.  Of course he didn't care for the stares.  Aiston knew they were all of jealousy.  Someone may try to take those robes from him, but once again he didn't care.  That's what bodyguards were for.  And Lt. Yenshin was an excellent bodyguard.


         Of course the Lieutenant insisted in disguising himself and Aiston, but such a thing was ridiculous.  Why should he, a Midollonian noble, wear disgusting clothes?  His robes were another sign of his greatness over others and nothing would stop him from flaunting that.


         But still Yenshin just had to dress himself akin to the riffraff.  Aiston didn’t mind so much since it made him seem all the more beautiful in contrast, but it was slightly degrading that this was his bodyguard.  The handsome, somewhat tall blonde man that was Yenshin was made considerably ugly with all the dirt he applied to himself.  A comparison of greatness and scum.


         Not that his greatness stopped Aiston from hiring the help of the most low-life scum.  He knew that power came from people, and if you couldn't ask for their assistance every once in awhile then the greater powers would be destined to become less and less.  Aiston had hired plenty of such ‘help’ before, nearly becoming caught himself once with the activities the damnable pirate performed, but Aiston had 'silenced' him before anything too harmful could have come from it.  Now, however, a new opportunity had arrived which Aiston could not pass up.  So great was it that he had been sure to hire the best help he could.  Someone who could get the job done and not get caught.  Someone who was feared.  Someone like Ruki.


         Aiston walked into the bar titled ‘Ployer’s Place’ and glanced around a bit.


         'What trash,' he thought to himself.  'Unfit to grace the feet of the future emperor.'  Too much chattering, badly carved wood, horrid decorations, too little light and what smelled like a cheap, generic brand of cigar.  So little class...


         He looked around a bit more and jumped slightly when a sweet yet husky voice told him, "I've got a room in back set up.  Follow me."  Aiston turned toward the voice to find the surprisingly attractive form of Ruki standing next to him.


         'A shame she is nothing but common scum.  She would make an outstanding figure to stand beside in the future.'  He looked a little more closely as she started walking away.  'But perhaps a bit too...predatory.'  Aiston followed Ruki closely with Yenshin tensely tailing them both.  The three traveled through the gambling pit silently, earning more than a few stares from the shifty eyes of trash wanting a piece of Ruki and the wealth of Aiston.  Ruki made her way toward a barely noticeable door in one corner of the main room and entered.  Aiston stopped at the doorway and turned toward Yenshin.


         "Wait here.  Nobody enters," Aiston said cooly.


         "But si..." Yenshin tried to protest, but Aiston cut him off with a growl.


         "Do as you're told, Lieutenant."  The bodyguard nodded and took position beside the doorway while Aiston followed Ruki inside.  The room resembled the look of rest of the bar with a long table and a couple dozen chairs.  It was obviously a meeting room.


         He had just shut the door when he heard Ruki say, "Are you a complete moron or are you trying to gather attention?"


         "Just because I am dealing with a common criminal doesn't mean I must dress as one."


         "Yeah, well don't come screaming to me when rumors get back to the Emperor about you visiting Haqnen II."


         "I can deal with the Emperor.  You worry about your job and I will worry about both of ours."


         "You little fu..." Ruki started to say, but was cut off.


         "Now for our business.  I have information I want collected and I want you to be the collector.  Do you accept?"


         "Can you give me a good reward?"


         "Is $1,000,000,000 good enough?" Aiston said with a smirk.  Ruki smiled at him and started laughing, her tail swaying violently.  "What?"  She held her sides and almost fell to her knees.  "What?!"


         She composed herself enough to wheeze out, "You...heh...don't think I can get that kind of money on my own?!  HA!!!  You'll have to do better than that!"


         "I see..."  'She can get $1,000,000,000 that easily?  Unbelievable.  She just wants more.  Greedy whore.'  Aiston ground his teeth.


         "I work for rare items.  Money doesn't mean much when you can just rob a planetary bank."


         'True...I have heard she has done as much in the past.'


         "So do you have anything to give me or is this just a waste of time?"  Her expression didn't look amused any longer.  "I don't like wasting time."


         "Are you threatening me?  A noble in the house of Midolloni?  I could have you killed with a snap of my fingers."


         "Yeah, yeah.  Heard it before.  And when you get really mad flames shoot out your ass and peasants scream bloody murder.  You nobles all speak the same language."  Aiston's face turned bright red.


         "You will regret that!"  Ruki yawned, stretching her body and tail.


         "Listen, do you have anything to offer me, or are you gonna make more threats."


         'She will die.  Oh yes she will.  But I need her to do this first.  Only the best will do.'  Aiston forced on a smile.  "I possess a number of valuable Midolloni gems you may like."  She looked bored.  "A new weapon, perhaps?  I have connections into the black market."


         "Who doesn't?"


         'Dammit!  What does she want?!'  "Old literary texts, in particular from Busthaven.  Some of it is really quite outstanding.  All of it very rare since the Makar were eliminated."  Her tail started trembling and Ruki bellowed out another laugh.


         "Do I look like the sort of person who reads?!  Come on!  You're a noble!  You can do better than that!"


         "Well what do you want?!  Everything I have offered is difficult to come by!"  She gave him a lopsided grin.


         "Not to me."


         "I can excuse you from your crimes."


         "Not without your popularity dropping with absolutely everyone.  Plus the Council would reverse it in no time.  In any case it’d make life dull.  No bluffing."


         "Do you want new clothes?" he asked desperately.  All he received was another fit of laughter.  "Well what then?!"


         "Technology.  State of the art equipment.  Stuff the general public doesn't know about.  I know you've got your dirty little hands in that, so don't play dumb."


         Aiston grit his teeth hard.  "Fine.  A new cloaking technology for ships has been completed.  I can give you a copy."


         "And?"


         "You want more?!"


         "I can get a decent cloaking system now, though it wouldn't work at close ranges.  Plus I want something before and after the deal.  For whatever reason I don't trust you," she said sarcastically.


         "Fine."  He took out a small collar from the endless folds of his robes.  Ruki looked curiously at it while Aiston attached the thin black collar around his neck.  The next moment he was floating two feet in the air.  "This technology was completed decades ago, but was scrapped and hidden due to expenses and fear of it being copied and used by the wrong people.  The collar for your services.  The cloaking device for the return of my item.  Is it a deal?"  Ruki picked her mouth up and looked Aiston straight in the eyes.


         "No."


         "What?!"


         "I don't even know what the job is yet!"


         'Oh yes.  I’d nearly forgotten.  But I cannot be sure of her trust in the matter quite yet...'  "Excuse me if I do not trust you, but you may simply tell others of my plans if you do not accept.  Then where would I be?"


         "I could accept, take your little device then start spreading rumors," she pointed out.


         'She is right.  But...'  "But then I could ruin your future business.  People would not trust you to do their dirty work anymore."


         "True.  But I still don't accept."


         'She has pride.  That is what my contact said.  She has pride.'  "Then I guess you are not the greatest mercenary in the galaxy."


         "What?!"  That tail started twitching.


         "If you were the greatest mercenary then you would be able to steal anything from anyone.  If you do not accept then that would mean you are afraid you might not complete a certain job."


         "Now that's bullshit!  I'm the best at what I do and everybody knows it!"


         "Not me."  Ruki stood there gritting her teeth and growling for a moment before nodding.


         "Fine.  I'll do it.  Now can I know what I'm doing?"


         Aiston smiled inwardly but kept a serious look on his face.  "Simple.  I trust you have heard of the reconstruction of the Titan."


         "Bits and pieces."


         "Good.  I need you to sneak onboard and download all information off the backup computers of that ship."


         "That's it?  Can't you do that yourself?"


         "It is a bit more complicated than that.  I should remind you security is not exactly light at the moment."


         "Fine enough by me.  Now, my payment?"  Aiston took off the black collar and threw it over to her, giving her a devilish smile.


         "We meet again in orbit around this planet in two weeks.  Do not fail."


         "You worry about yourself.  I've been doing this crap since before you were in your daddy's boxers."  The two glared at each other for a moment before Aiston turned around and started walking back to the door.


         "Two weeks then," he said just before opening the door and exiting the room.  Yenshin was immediately at his side with a worried expression on his face.  He might have said something if he didn't know it wasn't his business, but Yenshin knew very well the rules of being Aiston's bodyguards and knew even better the punishment for doing something wrong.


         'I will have everything in that ship, then it's only a matter of time before my 'superiors' bow to me.  Even Sevantes.'  A smile crept to his lips.  'But not before I get rid of that damnable pirate.'


-------------------------


         Ruki waited a few minutes before following Aiston out of the meeting room and into the main room.  She looked around for a moment to see if the noble was still present then, finding he wasn't, headed over to her former seating.


         'Great strategist my ass.  They guy's a pompous moron.  Small wonder he got caught trafficking drugs.  I wonder how much he had to pay for freedom,' she thought with a snicker. 


         As she absentmindedly avoided any drunken gropers she caught sight of the Jarcden at the bar nursing a mostly empty beer and signaling Charlie for another.  'That guy looks really familiar.'  He looked straight at her for a moment and when their eyes locked he didn't look away.  'Probably drunk.  But I could swear I've seen him before.'  She changed her course and went around the main bar.  The man tensed up as she sat next to him and she cringed.  'He's afraid already.  Figures.'  She stared at the man for a few moments, trying to put a memory to his face and failing, before finally speaking up.


         "Do I know you from somewhere?"  The man tensed even more but merely shook his head and continued staring at his drink.  "Don't speak much, do you."  The man shook his head again and rubbed his throat meaningfully.  "What, you're a mute?"  The man nodded.  She stared at him for another moment then leaned forward to take a better look at his face.  "I have seen you before.  You wouldn't be trying to lie to me, now would you?"  The man took a swig of his ale.  She leaned forward once more and wrapped an arm around his shoulder while bringing her lips to his ear.  "I won't bite.  Just tell me where we've met."  The man shook his head again, but Ruki tracked a hint of sweat above his brow.  She sighed and stood up.  "Fine.  Your loss."


         'I must have seen him in an old raid or something,’ she thought.  ‘Maybe even caused his injury.  He's real scared.'  She turned away and continued to her old seating where Ployer waited.


         "Our new friend is really something.  Not the kindest guy you might find," Ployer said when Ruki sat down.


         "I guess it comes with being mute.  Besides, I think he's in a bad mood since I'm here," Ruki replied.


         "Did you just say mute?"


         "Yeah.  I just talked to him.  He's a mute."


         "He wasn't when I talked to him."  Ruki's eyes narrowed and she turned around to look at the Jarcden only to find empty space.


         "I'm going after him.  He’s either a hunter or a man with a debt to repay."


         "Take it that’s a goodbye."


         "See you later, Ployer."


         "Come back soon!  I mean it!  If I don't see you in couple months then I'll send out a bounty hunter!"  Ruki smiled and threw a wave behind her back.  As she walked out of Ployer's Place, Ruki unconsciously wrapped her tail around her waist, knowing that trouble was around.


         ‘This rubs me wrong.  It’s not that there’s someone after me.  I know this sonofabitch and he knows me.  And if he knows me, he brought help.  Probably some kind of temporary group.  Unless, of course, somebody else is rash enough to pull a Kenshi.'  She smiled as she found the tall shape of the Jarcden walking in the shadows of the ruined buildings toward the spaceport.  'Good.  I haven't had enough exercise lately.'  Ruki ran to catch up with the man.


         When she was only a few meters away she yelled, "Hey!  I forgot to ask you your phone number!"  The man stopped and turned back to look at her.  "Jig's up pal.  Tell me where we’ve met."  The man looked at her for a few seconds before turning and walking away again.  'What the hell?  Why is he still keeping this up?'  She ran up to the man and grabbed his wrist, turning him back around and leveling him with an evil glare.  "Knock it off!  Ployer talked to you back there so I know you're not mute.  All I want to know is who you are and where your friends are hiding."  The man quirked an eyebrow at her and stared at her a few seconds.  A few seconds in which she stared back, studying him, noticing for the first time his elbows and knees seemed a little high, his face was the only skin showing and it had an unnatural wrinkle where his skin tucked under his shirt..


         'He wasn't scared.  He was just afraid I would see through his disguise,’ she realized quickly.  ‘But why play dumb still?'  She was about to ask that very question when the man jerked his arm away with surprising force.  He turned around and started walking again.


         "If that's how you want to play then let's do it," she said angrily  Ruki charged toward the man and tackled him to the ground, straddling his waist in the process.  The Jarcden shot up but Ruki just threw him back down and straddled his waist again, this time pinning his arms above his head.  "Quite a position we're in, huh?  But I asked a question and it's time for you to answer."  The Jarcden simply looked at her with a glare that rivaled Kenshi's on a bad day and started pushing his arms up.  Ruki tensed her muscles, trying to keep the man down, yet he unbelievably continued to sit up.  Ruki's eyes widened considerably as the man pushed her arms back to her chest.


         "What the hell?" she asked, but her only response was the man standing up and throwing her away.  Ruki growled and tried to punch him, but he merely sidestepped and brought a fist down on her back, sending her to the ground in actual pain.  She lay there surprised for a moment, wondering where this new challenge came from.


         When she looked up she saw the man standing over her expressionless.  They stared at each other for a few seconds, both unflinching.  Finally the Jarcden - or what looked like a Jarcden - reached into his coat.  Ruki knew what was coming next so she tried jumping up and was rewarded with a kick to the shoulder in return.  Ruki looked back at the man’s arm and saw it pulling out of the jacket.


         She would have tried to kick the man down next to her, but the man flinched back first, a gunshot ringing out less than a second later.  The man nursed his left shoulder - the same arm he was reaching into his coat with - and grit his teeth, now staring at a quartet of men with pistols raised toward him.  He jumped away as a few more bolts of plasma passed where he had been standing.  The men redirected their aim and fired a few more shots at the retreating Jarcden while Ruki stood up, staring off into the alley where the man had disappeared.


         'What bounty hunter is stronger than me?’ she asked herself.  ‘He refused to speak.  Would I recognize his voice?  Who do I know that’s actually stronger than me?  Small list.’  She was shaken out of her thoughts by Ployer.


         "Ruki!  What the hell happened?!"  She looked back at him and shrugged.


         "I tried to stop him and we fought."  She thought for a moment before her expression turned into one of playful anger.  "Why did you scare him off?!  I wanted to kick his ass!"


         The worry disappeared from Ployer's face, replaced by a smile.  "Didn't look like you were fairing too well from where I was standing.  Could it be?!  Could the great Ruki *gasp* have been losing a fight?!?!"


         "Where the hell do you get off thinking I would lose a fight?  It's been too long since you've seen me in action!"  Ployer chuckled but then gave Ruki a serious look.


         "You be careful.  That man is a lot tougher than you or I gave him credit for.  I assure you that."  Ruki laughed this time.


         "I can take care of myself just fine.  Our fight wasn't even finished!"


         "Even so, we both know you're not as invincible as you would like to be," he said, bringing her previous words back to haunt her.  She was reminded of the many times she’d been nearly killed in some of the more brutal fights she’d been involved in.  Sometimes it’d come down to Ally resuscitating her.


         Ruki stared at Ployer for a moment before turning away and walking toward the spaceport.  "I'll see you around, Ployer.  Maybe I'll visit after I'm through with this next job."  She let out a giggle.  "I think you'll really be proud of me for this one."  Ployer smiled warmly at her retreating form before turning around and motioning his three guards back into Ployer's Place.


-------------------------


         The door Ruki disappeared into was guarded by a nervous looking man trying to seem tough to everyone that walked by.  It was mildly humorous to Kenshi, but he was too nervous himself to crack a smile.  Much too many potential enemies around.


         He waited for only a couple minutes before the door opened and the richly dressed man he’d seen earlier came out.  The man walked up to the guard with a condescending sneer on his face and the two both turned to walk out the front door.  Kenshi waited another few minutes in which he nearly finished his second ale, looking for any sign of Ruki’s reentrance.


         She emerged looking annoyed, which was never a good thing, and glanced around.  After a moment she started walking out of the gambling area, an evil grin plastered on her face.  He watched her avoid a few awkwardly outstretched hands as he ordered another ale.


         Just as the bartender started refilling his glass Kenshi noticed Ruki staring a him from the edge of the gambling pit.  He looked up at her and their eyes locked.  The two stared at each other for a few moments as she continued to walk around the bar.  The gaze finally broke when Kenshi refused to turn his head and she continued to walk behind him.


         'She knows she's seen me before,' he thought.  'Please don't sit next to me.  Please don't sit next to me.  Please don't sit next to me.'  She sat next to him.  'SONOFABITCH!!!'


         Kenshi caught her continued stare out of the corner of his eye.  It seemed like an eternity that they sat there, her staring holes into his head and him doing the same to his drink.  He expected her to burst out any moment yelling, "Hey Kenshi!  How's the MMC been treatin' ya?" or, "Kenshi!  Why didn't you say you were here?!  Come on, there's a back room open and you look a little...tense."


         Instead she said, "Do I know you from somewhere?"


         'If she hears my voice then I'm screwed.  Gotta try to get out of this without talking.'  Kenshi shook his head, hoping that would ease her curiosity but knowing it wouldn't be that easy.  It was never that easy.


         "Don't speak much, do you."  Kenshi shook his head again and tried to come up with an excuse for his quiet behavior.


         'Why can't I talk?  Why am I quiet?  How would I tell her without talking?  How can I get through this mute?  Mute.  I'm a mute!'  Kenshi rubbed his throat, hoping she'd get the idea.


         "What, you're a mute?"  He nodded.  There was another moment of silence where Kenshi noticed her lean forward and study his features more closely.


         'I haven't been this close to her in close to six months,' he recalled.  'Let's hope after today I won't get this close ever again.'


         "I have seen you before.  You wouldn't be trying to lie to me, now would you?"


         'Ah shit.'  Kenshi took a swig of his ale, downing half of it in one massive gulp.  She leaned forward again, this time wrapping an arm around his shoulder and bringing her face in close.  He could feel her breath on his ear and was tempted to jump out of his chair and whip out the sonic blaster he’d taken with him.  Ruki had never touched him without leaving him bloody and broken.


         "I won't bite.  Just tell me where we've met," she said sweetly.  He shook his head once more, praying she’d leave him be.  The pirate let out a sigh and stood up.  "Fine.  Your loss," she said in a way which truly made him wonder what she would have done had he revealed himself at that moment.  He scowled as she walked away.


         Kenshi let out a breath of relief and wiped his brow, realizing the mask had breathed through his sweat, and looked back at Ruki's retreating form.  He tensed.  She was heading back toward Ployer.


         'This isn't going to be good.  Time to leave while lady luck still finds pity in me.'  Kenshi finished off his ale and left a wad of bills on the bar.  He got up and headed out just as he noticed Ruki sitting down. 'I'll follow her in space.  No idea what her next stop is, but I can't afford to take her on around so many potential allies,' he thought as he walked down the empty street.  He headed back for the spaceport, thanking God Ruki hadn't tried anything.


         Of course, he had just finished that thanks when the oh so familiar sweet, husky voice called out, "Hey!  I forgot to ask you your phone number!"  He stopped and looked back to see Ruki only a few feet behind him with a wide grin plastered on her face.  "Jig's up pal.  Tell me where we’ve met."  He stared at her for a few seconds, trying to decide what to do.  Finally he turned around and started walking again, hoping his earlier luck would come through again.  He only took four steps when a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled, forcing him to turn around again.  Looking at Ruki, he found her leveling an evil glare at him.  "Knock it off! Ployer talked to you back there so I know you're not mute.  All I want to know is who you are and where your friends are hiding."


         'Friends?  Why does she think I'm here with someone?'  Kenshi quirked an eyebrow at her, but knew he couldn't say anything.  Instead he jerked his arm away, hoping against reason that Ruki wouldn't stop him again.


         He started walking once more only to hear her say, "If that's how you want to play, then let's do it."  A second later and Kenshi was face-first on the ground, Ruki's legs straddling his waist.  His arms had landed under him, allowing him to push himself right back up, but Ruki just threw him back down - this time on his back - and straddled his waist again while pinning his arms above his head.  "Quite a position we're in, huh?  But I asked a question and it's time for you to answer."


         'This isn't gong to end without a fight or embarrassment...or both.  Dammit.'  He tried struggling and was mildly surprised when he actually managed to bring his arms up a little.  Ruki put more muscle in keeping him pinned, forcing Kenshi to put more muscle into sitting up.  He was much more surprised when he continued lifting his arms against her and could start to sit up.  Finally Kenshi stopped pushing and looked into Ruki's widened eyes.  'What the hell?'


         "What the hell?" she echoed.


         'Ally really did make me stronger than Ruki.'  He almost grinned.  'Time to let the bitch know what it's like facing a stronger opponent.'


         Kenshi stood up carefully and swung his arms away.  Ruki lost her grip and flew back a few feet, but managed to regain her balance and jump back at him.  It was like slow-motion - something you'd see in an action-packed video game or a movie with a lot of special effects.  Ruki seemed to be coming at him impossibly slow, her fist extending toward his jaw at the speed of a turtle.  He almost forgot to dodge out of the way...almost.  Kenshi sidestepped the punch and let his fist down on Ruki's defenseless back, knocking her to the ground.


         Ruki twisted and managed to land on her back, but she didn't move further.  Instead she just stared up at him with surprise written all over her face.  He didn't blame her - he was surprised too.  Ally had really done good work on him, however illegal and painful it was.  Kenshi looked into Ruki's red eyes.  She was too shocked to move and Kenshi didn't know what to do.  He hadn't really expected to be in this position.


         'This is your chance!' his brain screamed at him.  'You have her this time!  Just get your gun out and you've got her!'  It was unusually optimistic for him, but Kenshi followed the advice.


         He reached into his jacket with the arm extension he’d used to make up the difference for his new height and grabbed his AC pistol - a large, highly accurate and powerful pistol whose unique design allowed it to not punch through most real targets despite it’s high velocity - knowing she’d recognize him once she caught sight of the signature gun.  The thought crossed his mind of using the sonic blaster, but Kenshi was afraid of the consequences of using such a weapon in such close quarters.


         Ruki, probably realizing he was going for a gun and likely thinking he was going to try to kill her, tried to sit up, but Kenshi simply kicked her in the shoulder, sending her back down.  He resumed pulling out the gun again, cursing his arm extension for making the task so that much more difficult.  Ruki, in the meantime, sent him her best glare.  He almost had the pistol out when he felt a searing pain in his shoulder, causing him to flinch back and drop his weapon back into it's holster while grabbing the shoulder with his other hand.  The next second he heard the thunder of a gunshot ring out.  Looking up, Kenshi saw four men with pistols raised at him.  A couple flashes brightened their weapons and he instinctively jumped to his left, ignoring the plasma bolts which passed where he’d been standing moments before and going into a heavy sprint toward a nearby alley.


         Kenshi raced through the darkened pathways for a full minute, surrounded by drunken bums and beggars who didn't want to be caught in the middle of the street by a well-armed criminal or biker.  Once stopped Kenshi leaned against a wall.  He wasn't tired - probably Ally's doing - but he was angry, depressed and in pain.


         'So close.  I always seem to get so close just to lose out in the end.'  He cursed Ruki.  He cursed the friends that helped her.  He cursed his luck.  He cursed his life.  He cursed Kyrie.  And finally, he cursed himself.  'This whole trip was for nothing.  I can no longer use this disguise and all I learned is I'm too stupid to know when to quit and Ruki is strong enough to crush an erection.  Wonderful.'


         Kenshi headed back to the spaceport, checking his wounded arm along the way and finding it had stopped bleeding and had already scabbed over - Ally's nanobots probably.  The burn hadn’t spread nearly as much as it should have and hadn’t been nearly as painful as other plasma injuries he’d experienced in the past.  The crazy scientist had been right.


         Turning his thoughts to a darker subject, Kenshi admitted that he probably would never catch Ruki and that one of these days she'd just kill him, purposely or not.  But he also knew that there was nothing else he could do, really.  He could just live out an eternity in his ship all by his lonesome, but he would go insane.  And, unfortunately, his own mind was the last good company he felt he had left.  He could become another criminal, but then he would turn into so much of what he had come to hate.  Maybe he could be a bounty hunter.  Many a criminal had turned coat into a bounty hunter and simply kept their identity quiet.  As long as the bounty was turned in alive the MMC didn’t ask any questions.  Perhaps...but no.  Not yet, at least.  He couldn’t just let Ruki get away, not after all this time and effort.


         Kenshi gave small, sardonic smile.  It was twisted, but, in a way, Ruki was his life; the only thing he was living for now.  The only thing that could bring his life back.  'And if I catch her and can't get back into the MMC, I'll have nothing left to live for. It's like some twisted romance.'